"Dangerous in the Minds of Barrio People": Empowering Bicultural Latino Identity on Spanish-Language Television in Los Angeles, 1960–1990.

This article examines how Los Angeles Spanish-language television stations KMEX Channel 34 (Spanish International Network/Univision) and KVEA Channel 52 (Telemundo) promoted bicultural Latino identity-building through locally produced news and public affairs programming from the 1960s to the 1990s. Targeting predominantly Mexican-heritage audiences while appealing to a broader Spanish-speaking population, these stations framed viewers as politically empowered bicultural U.S. Latinos who affirm their Latin American cultural heritage and actively participate in U.S. civic life. The additive biculturalism promoted by KMEX and KVEA emphasized retaining cultural customs alongside acquiring new cultural capital to succeed within U.S. society, contrasting with assimilationist pressures. Despite management’s business and political interests sometimes limiting radical advocacy, programming such as KMEX’s *Historia de Éxito* and KVEA’s *Cara a Cara* talk show contributed to fostering a collective Latino ethnic consciousness in Southern California. The article highlights Spanish-language TV’s significant role in shaping Latino cultural identity and political engagement amid the region’s demographic expansion and broader U.S. Latino cultural formation.